Integrated internet camera system

ABSTRACT

An integrated Internet camera system comprises a website archive and review center (WSARC) for storing and managing images and an Internet direct camera (IDC) for capturing an image, automatically transmitting the image to an account associated with said IDC on the WSARC upon image capture and receiving stored image from the WSARC. The IDC comprises a display for displaying the captured image and the received image. The IDC automatically connects to the WSARC over an Internet connection on power-up.

RELATED APPLICATION

The present application claims a priority to U.S. Provisional PatentApplication Ser. No. 60/702,470, which is incorporated herein byreference in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to an integrated Internet camera and/orsystem that is simple to install, operate and maintain, moreparticularly to an integrated Internet camera and/or video system thatseamlessly and automatically transmits, receives, stores and/or archivesstill images, video and/or audio to and from a web site service/monitorcenter over the Internet using one or more integrated Internet cameras.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The increasing use and awareness of the utility afforded by the Internethas transformed this simple image recording or capture process into amore complicated process requiring permanent storage and providing asecure centralized access to such storage from any remote location.

The currently available camera systems available are rigid andexpensive. These systems are complex and require a host of peripheraldevices to place an image on the Internet or Web. Additionally, thesesystems are bulky and not very portable. Moreover, the user must installone or more software to operate such camera systems. In a securitymonitoring application, these camera systems require a qualifiedoperator to operate and maintain such system.

An example of such prior camera system is shown in FIG. 1. In order foran operator to transfer the still image, video and/or audio file from avideo camera 100 to an account on the Internet or Web, the operator mustconnect the video camera 100 to a personal computer PC 200. The stillimage, video and/or audio file is transferred and stored in the PC 200before it is transferred or uploaded onto the Internet. That is, thecamera 100 must be connected to a network device (e.g., PC 200) beforeit can transmit or receive still image, video or audio files.

Some have attempted to resolve this problem by purchasing a network card(wired or wireless) to enable their camera 100 to connect to theInternet without a separate network device (i.e., PC 200). However, suchsolution is only available if the camera 100 can accept such networkcard and does not provide two-way access to the image file, i.e.,transmitting to storage and receiving from storage. Additionally, suchsolution generally requires the operator to install the network card andaccompanying software to “network” enabled camera 100.

Therefore, it is desirable to have an integrated Internet camera systemthat can seamlessly upload and download video and/or audio files to andfrom the Internet, transmits these files to another web-enabled portabledevice (e.g., another camera, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a cellphone and the like), receive/download video and/or audio files fromanother portable device and/or store/archive these files in a securewebsite without the necessity of connecting to another device, such as aPC 200.

OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

There are many commercial and general consumer needs for this integratedInternet camera system. Some examples are in the fields of security,engineering, entertainment, advertising, child care monitoring andpersonal use, such as for family social occasions.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide anintegrated Internet camera system (“IICS”) that allows even the noviceusers to seamlessly link their Internet direct cameras (“IDC”) to adedicated website of the IICS operator (such as a website archive andreview center (“WSARC”) to begin recording/storing/archiving of theimages on the WSARC by simply powering their IDC. The presentinvention's ease of use, less working parts, lower maintenances, lowerexpenses, and easily accessible support enables the novice users toquickly employ and enjoy the IICS of the present invention.Additionally, the IICS is very flexible, it can be easily expanded andcustomized to provide a host of services and meet various needs of bothpersonal and commercial users.

It is another object of the present invention to provide the IICS asaforesaid, which comprises IDC that can automatically and seamlesslyconnect to the WSARC by simply powering on the IDC. That is, when anoperator takes a picture, the IDC automatically transmits the image tothe WSARC.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide aninexpensive and efficient camera having all necessary functionality fortransmission and reception of real-time, stored and archived digitalimages to and from the Internet in a single, portable standaloneapparatus (i.e., an embedded system), without requiring the use of anexternal controlling apparatus such as a personal computer.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a WSARC thatenables an authorized user to schedule transmission of digital images toone or more IDC(s) upon receipt of an image from an IDC associated withthat authorized user.

A further of the present invention is to provide a portable, standalonecamera that initiates transmission of digital images to the Internet,i.e., WSARC, upon an image capture.

In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, an integratedInternet camera system for transmitting digital images to an Internetaddress comprises an image pickup, an optical module for forming animage on the image pickup, and an image capturing module for capturingdigital images from the image pickup. A wireless device or SIMMS cardconnects and maintains the IDC's connection to the Internet fortransmission of the digital image files to a user account associatedwith the IDC at a predetermined Internet address (i.e., WSARC) andtransfers the digital image files to the user account. The digital imagefiles in the user account are then available to authorized users of theaccount. Depending on the access privilege such authorized user mayaccess the entire or a portion of the stored/archived digital imagefiles.

In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, an integratedInternet camera system comprises a website archive and review center(WSARC) for storing, archiving and managing images and an Internetdirect camera (IDC) for capturing an image, automatically transmittingthe image to an account associated with said IDC on the WSARC upon imagecapture and receiving stored/archived image from the WSARC. The IDCcomprises a display for displaying the captured image and the receivedimage. The IDC automatically connects to the WSARC over an Internetconnection on power-up.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention is further explained in the description whichfollows with reference to the drawings, illustrating, by way ofnon-limiting examples, various embodiments of the invention, with likereference numerals representing similar parts throughout the severalviews, and wherein:

FIG. 1 shows a conventional stationary camera which captures andtransmits images to the Internet using a local PC; and

FIG. 2 illustrates an Integrated Internet camera system in accordancewith an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

Turning now to FIG. 2, there is illustrated an integrated Internetcamera system (IICS) 1000 in accordance with an embodiment of thepresent invention comprising a plurality Internet direct cameras (IDCs)2000 connected to a website archive and storage center (WSARC) 3000 overthe Internet 4000. The WSARC 3000 comprises a web server 3010 and one ormore database 3020 to store and/or archive images received from the IDCs2000. The IICS 1000 uses the IDC 2000 (preferably a multi-mode camera)to transmit a still image, video and audio (collectively referred toherein as the “data”), onto the Internet 4000 via a multi mode InternetAccess Antenna (IAA) 2600 to a monitored WSARC 3000. The IDC 2000 canconnect to the Internet via, but not limited to, land line, DSL, cable,satellite, wireless network, cellular, Wi-Fi, Wi-Max and the like.Preferably, the IDC 2000 connects to the Internet via a primary mode ofcommunication and switches over the secondary mode of communication ifthe IDC 2000 detects a failure in the primary mode of communication. Forexample, if the IDC 2000 is programmed or setup to use Wi-Fi as aprimary mode of communication, the IDC 2000 can switch to a cellularcommunication if the Wi-Fi communication is lost or unavailable.

In accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, theIDC 2000 comprises an embedded address, a subscriber identificationmodule (SIM) card 2610 or other comparable device or means to enable theIDC's connection to the WSARC 3000 to be embedded, preset, encrypted,proprietary and firewall protected. If the IDC 2000 is faulty orinoperable, the user can simply remove its SIM card 2610 and install itin the new IDC 2000. That is, the SIM card 2610 is interchangeable fromone IDC 2000 to another IDC 2000.

In accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, theIDC 2000 comprises a microcontroller or microprocessor 2200 forcontrolling the various components of the IDC 2000, a display 2300,preferably LCD display, to display captured images, an image-formingoptical system 2500 for capturing images, a compression module 2210 forcompressing captured images, a storage device 2400 for storing and/orarchiving capture images, an image adjusting module 2220 for performingimage processing on a stored/archived digital image and a text module2230 for superimposing text information on a stored/archived digitalimage. In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, themicrocontroller 2200 controls the compression module 2210 to performimage compression, e.g., JPEG, Huffman, wavelet and the like and outputsimages in JPEG, TIFF, GIFF and other known formats for storage in thestorage device 2400 and/or transmission to the WSARC 3000. Themicrocontroller 2200 also can control the image adjusting module 2220 toadjust the resolution of image stored/archived in the storage device2400 on a continuous scale with preferred preservation of aspect ratioeither before or after storage therein or before or after transmissionto the WSARC 3000.

All of the electronic, mechanical, optical and display components of theIDC 2000 are housed within a camera body 2100. A viewfinder 2530 allowsthe operator to view a scene corresponding to, or identical to, an imageformed on an image pickup 2510 of the IDC 2000 via the image-formingoptical system 2500. The image-forming optical system 2500 can comprisesa zoom lens or an auto-focus system.

The display 2300 displays the results of user interaction, statusreporting to the user and images/videos captured or received by the IDC2000. The storage device 2400 can be a memory, a hard drive, a DRAM, aNAND, a flash memory, a memory stick, a storage disk and the like. It isappreciated that DC 2000 without the storage device 2400 has the benefitof lowering the cost of the DC 2000. The storage device 2400advantageously enables the user to continue recording even if theInternet connection is temporarily lost or unavailable.

Instead of the viewfinder 2530, the DC 2000 in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention utilizes a detachable or integratedfull video (LCD) display 2300. Accordingly, the display 2300 is a coloror greyscale (video) LCD, and the microcontroller 2200 drives thedisplay 2300 to show images formed on the image pickup 2510.

In accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, thestorage device 2400 records the data constantly, preferably with achosen time frame override. In accordance with an aspect of the presentinvention, the IDC 2000 transmits the data to the WSARC 3000 andsimultaneously records the data on the storage device 2400.

In accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, theIDC 2000 comprises a meter that shows amount of time or data remainingto be transmitted to the WSARC 3000.

In accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, thestorage device 1120 records the data when the Internet connection islost. The IDC 2000 transmits the stored/archived data when the Internetconnection to the WSARC 3000 is re-established. Preferably, the storagedevice 2400 records the data until all recorded data is sent to theWSARC 3000 over the Internet 4000 and then move seamlessly totransmitting live data without loss of data.

In accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, thestorage device 1120 records the data where Internet access isunavailable, such as a factory or a remote site. Periodically, the IDC2000 can be moved to a site where Internet access is available and therecordings can be transmitted to the WSARC 3000. In accordance with anembodiment of the present invention, the IDC 2000 can be replaced withanother DC 2000 so the recording is continuous. Preferably, the storagedevice 2400 is removable such that the storage device 2400 isperiodically replaced with a new one so that the recording iscontinuous. The recordings on the removed IDC 2000 and/or the storagedevice 1120 are then transferred to the WSARC 3000.

In accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, theIDC 2000 comprises a light indicator, such as an LED 2310, indicatingwhether the IDC 2000 is connected to the Internet (i.e., the WSARC3000). The LED 2310 is “green” to indicate that the IDC 2000 isconnected to the WSARC 3000 and “red” to indicate that the IDC 2000 isnot connected to the WSARC 3000. This will advantageously enable theuser or operator of the IDC 2000 to know the status of the Internetconnection immediately. In accordance with an aspect of the presentinvention, if the WSARC 3000 loses connection to an IDC 2000, the WSARC3000 sends an email to a predetermined address or places a phone call toa predetermined number (or other comparable notification means)designated by the registered user of the IDC 2000.

In accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, theIDC 2000 comprises a motion sensor 2700 for activating the recordingonly when the motion sensor 2700 detects motion. For example, this canbe useful for monitoring remote, unpopulated locations, such as awarehouse or a factory in off-hour or a summer or winter home inoff-season, for any unauthorized intrusion. Preferably, the IDC 2000only records when the motion sensor 2700 detects an activity or motionwithin a monitoring area or site. In accordance with an aspect of thepresent invention, upon activation of the IDC 2000, the WSARC 3000 canbe setup or program to send an email to a predetermined address or placea phone call to a predetermined number (or other comparable notificationmeans), which can be designated by the registered user of the IDC 2000.

In accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, theIDC 2000 can be placed or mounted on a mounting device 1100 which canrotate or pivot the IDC 2000, thereby enabling the operator to remotelycontrol the IDC 2000 via the WSARC 3000. As noted herein, for example,when the registered user receives an email or a phone call that the IDC2000 has detected an activity within a warehouse, the registered usercan log onto the WSARC 3000 and remotely operate one or more IDCs 2000within the warehouse to determine the cause of this activity.Alternatively, an operator associated with the WSARC 3000 can remotelyoperate one or more IDCs 2000 within the warehouse to determine thecause of this activity. Such remote monitoring capability with the IICS1000 enables the operator of the WSARC 3000 or the registered user toquickly determine if the activity is a false alarm or real intrusionthat needs to be dealt with and reported to the local police authority.

In accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, theWSARC 3000 is staffed with operators, technicians, security personneland the like to provide a full monitoring service, such as 24/7 (24hours/7 days a week) monitoring service. If the operator of the WSARC3000 determines if there is an incident or event warranting ainvestigation within a remote monitoring site, such as a home, office,warehouse, etc., the operator can dispatch a security personnel toinvestigate the incident.

In accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, theIDC 2000 comprises a battery 2800, which provides power to all of thecomponents of the IDC 2000. It is appreciated that IDC 2000 can bepowered by any variety of power sources. The IDC 2000 can be poweredexclusively by the internal battery 2800 or by other power sources, suchas solar power or AC power with the internal battery 2800 serving as abackup power source. Preferably, the internal battery 2800 is arechargeable battery that can be recharged by solar or electrical power.The rechargeable battery can incorporate an AC adapter, preferablyprovided outside the IDC 2000 in order to reduce the size of the camera.The AC adapter plugs into a conventional AC outlet, and can be a“Universal” AC adapter connectible to various worldwide AC supplies. Inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the IDC 2000 canbe setup or programmed to alert the WSARC 3000 to send an email to apredetermined address or place a call to predetermined number (or othercomparable notification means) when the IDC 2000 determines the power ofthe battery 2800 is below a predetermined threshold. Additionally, theWSARC 3000 automatically sends an email to a predetermined address orplace a call to a predetermined number (or other comparable notificationmeans) when the WSARC 3000 is unavailable to communicate with WSARC 3000for any reason, such as loss of power, loss of Internet connection, etc.This advantageously alerts the registered user of the IDC 2000 toreplace the IDC's battery 2800.

In accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, theIDC 2000 can be used a cell phone employing voice over IP (VOIP) via theInternet connection or traditional cellular network for voicecommunication and/or data transmission, such as text messages.Additionally, the IDC 2000 can use the Internet connection to downloadlive or recorded audio and/or video content from the Internet. Thenecessary hardware and software components can reside within the IDC2000 or in a separate device removable attachable to the IDC 2000.

In accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, theIICS 1000 is deployed in a warehouse with 10 IDCs 2000. The registereduser or an operator of the WSARC 3000 can view all ten IDCs 2000individually, together or in a group. It is appreciated that more IDCs2000 can be added or distributed over multiple warehouses or buildings.

In accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, theimage pickup 2510 of the IDC 2000 can be infrared or UV light sensorsuitable for recording or generating infrared or UV images. Preferably,the IDC 2000 comprises a scope-shaped attachment the can providespecialized lighting and/or scope-shaped magnified zoom lens to providespecialized viewing. For example, this enables the IDC 2000 to recordfine cracks and crevices in machinery and/or building. The infraredlight capability advantageously permits the IICS 1000 to operate in lowlight to monitor building or warehouse at night.

In accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, theWSARC 3000 is accessible by registered users and users authorized byregistered users using their login name and password. The registereduser can give other users access or viewing rights to certain files,folders, etc. on a permanent or temporary basis. That is, the user'sability to view recordings or data stored/archived in the WSARC 3000will be dictated by the rights assigned to the user. The grouping andgranting of certain viewing rights can be pre-set by the registered useror owner of the account. In accordance with an exemplary embodiment ofthe present invention, the WSARC 3000 can provide temporary access basedon certain preference or fee. For example, to help cover the cost ofrecording Little League baseball games, a registered user can establishan account so parents, grandparents and friends of the players canaccess and download the recordings of the games for a fee. The fee canbe one-time fee (i.e., for the entire season), per game, per access,etc.

It is appreciated that WSARC 3000 comprises standard known tools toenable the registered user can organize their images. In accordance withan exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the registered usercan organize the images by location, e.g., warehouse, home, countryhouse, etc., using a file folder hierarchy structure. When a user clickson one of the displayed location, the WSARC 3000 displays another menulisting the groups within that location. For example, when a user clicksthe location labeled “warehouse,” the WSARC 3000 can list the followinggroups: office, garage, interior warehouse, outside perimeter, parkinglot, etc. When a user clicks the location labeled “home,” the WSARC 3000can list the following groups: 1^(st) floor, 2^(nd) floor, living room,dining room, kitchen, garage, bedroom 1, bedroom 2, basement, outsideperimeter, etc.

In accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, theWSARC 3000 can archive the recordings by date (such as year), name, orby event titled by the registered user. That is, the registered user canname or rename the recordings. This advantageously enables the user tosearch the archive by date, name or event. The registered user can labelthe events such as weddings, birthdays, anniversaries, etc. When a userclicks on an event labeled “birthdays,” the WSARC 3000 displays a listof all of titles named “birthday,’ for example:

Rita Marie's 1^(st) Birthday

Rita Marie's 16^(th) Birthday

Frankie's 1^(st) Birthday

Mommy's 30^(th) Birthday

Grandma's 70^(th) Birthday

It is appreciated that these events is also searchable by date and name.These events would be available to search by date and by group name.Whichever method is easier for the user to find, this all depends on thedetail of label a given user employs.

In accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, thetext module 2230 enables the registered user to type over the imagesbefore the images are transmitted to the WSARC 3000. Preferably, the LCDdisplay 2300 comprises a touch keypad for entering text and labeling theimage before it is transmitted to the WSARC 3000.

In accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, theIDC 2000 comprises a plug-in, e.g., USB port, for a microphone orheadphones, to enable to the user to record voice over the live orrecorded images. Alternatively, the WSARC 3000 comprises tools to enablethe registered user to edit the recorded images to record voice over thestored/archived images to clarify, comment or explain the recordedimages.

In accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the embodiment of thepresent invention, each account at WSARC 3000 can be assigned to one ormore registered users, thereby permitting each registered user of theaccount to seamlessly transmit and receive images from the otherregistered user. For example, the parents are vacationing in Europe, thegrandparents live in Brazil, Rita Marie is skiing in New Zealand andFrankie is diving in Hawaii. The IICS 1000 of the present inventionenables the parents to seamlessly receive images from and transmitimages to their daughter in New Zealand, the grandparents in Brazil andtheir son in Hawaii.

In accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, theIDC 2000 comprises a web browser linked to the Internet 4000. Theregistered user can use the IDC 2000 to retrieve or view stored/archivedimages in its account on the WSARC 3000, manage its WSARC account,send/receive emails via an email account established on the WSARC 3000or surf the Internet.

In accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, theregistered user can access the WSARC 3000 using the IDC 2000 or astandard computer to retrieve, view stored/archived images, emailstored/archived images or download stored/archived images onto a CD, DVDand the like.

The IDC 2000 of the present invention comprises all of the standardknown components to capture digital images, make a connection to theInternet, and transmit images over the Internet. This advantageouslyenables the IDC 2000 to be used in many applications, such as inentertainment, advertising, education, security, traffic monitoring,weather monitoring, child care monitoring, surveillance, and generalconsumer applications.

Although the above description sets forth particular embodiments of thepresent invention, modifications of the invention will be readilyapparent to those skilled in the art, and it is intended that the scopeof the invention be determined solely by the appended claims.

1-26. (canceled)
 27. An Internet direct camera (IDC) comprising amicroprocessor and an optics system to capture an image, automaticallytransmit said captured image to an account associated with said IDC on awebsite archive and review center (WSARC) upon image capture, andreceive stored image from said WSARC; and wherein the IDC automaticallyconnects to said WSARC over an Internet connection on power-up using oneof a plurality of available modes of connection, which is designated asa primary mode of communication, and wherein the IDC automaticallyswitches to another available mode of communication when the IDC detectsthat said primary mode of communication to said WSARC is unavailable.28. The IDC of claim 27, further comprising a storage device for locallystoring said captured image and said received image.
 29. The IDC ofclaim 28, wherein said storage device stores said captured image onlywhen the IDC loses said connection with said WSARC and transmits saidstored image to said WSARC when the IDC re-establishes said connectionwith said WSARC.
 30. The IDC of claim 27, further comprising an internalor rechargeable battery to power the IDC.
 31. The IDC of claim 30,wherein said microprocessor alerts said WSARC or a registered userassociated with the IDC when the power of said internal or rechargeablebattery is below a predetermined threshold.
 32. The IDC of claim 27,further comprising a motion sensor and wherein said optics system andprocessor captures images only when a motion is detected by said motionsensor.
 33. The IDC of claim 27 is a stationary camera under the controlof said WSARC.
 34. The IDC of claim 27, further comprising a mountingdevice for mounting the IDC and operable to rotate or pivot the IDC,thereby enabling an operator to remotely control the IDC.
 35. The IDC ofclaim 27, wherein said plurality of available modes of connection isselected from a group consisting of: a land line, DSL, cable, satellite,wireless network, cellular, Wi-Fi, Wi-Max.
 36. The IDC of claim 27,wherein said primary mode of communication can be changed to anotheravailable modes of communication by an operator of the IDC.
 37. The IDCof claim 27, wherein said primary mode of communication can be changedto another available modes of communication from said WSARC by aregistered user of WSARC associated with the IDC.
 38. The IDC of claim27, further comprising a SIM card associated with a registered user ofsaid WSARC.
 39. The IDC of claim 27, further comprising a web browser.40. The IDC of claim 27 is operable to support voice over IP over saidconnection.
 41. The IDC of claim 27, further comprising an infrared orUV sensor to record infrared or UV images.
 42. The IDC of claim 27,further comprising a scope-shaped attachment to provide specializedlighting to record fine cracks and crevices in a machine or a building.43. The IDC of claim 27, wherein said optics system further an imagepickup, an optical module for forming an image on the image pickup, andan image capturing module for capturing digital images from said imagepickup.
 44. The IDC of claim 43, wherein said optical module comprisesan auto-focus optical system.
 45. The IDC of claim 27 is a portablecamera.
 46. The IDC of claim 27, further comprising a display fordisplaying said captured image and said received image.
 47. The IDC ofclaim 46, wherein said display of said IDC comprises a touch pad forentering a command, a text or labeling images.
 48. The IDC of claim 27,wherein said microprocessor is operable to connect the IDC to other IDCsover said connection.
 49. The IDC of claim 48, further comprising adisplay for displaying images received from said other IDCs over saidconnection.
 50. The IDC of claim 27, wherein said account is associatedwith a registered user of said WSARC and images in said account can beviewed by any user given privilege to view by said registered user. 51.The IDC of claim 27, wherein said account is associated with aregistered user of said WSARC and wherein said captured imagetransmitted to said WSARC is received by one or more IDCs selected bysaid registered user from said WSARC.
 52. The IDC of claim 27, furthercomprising an image compression module for compressing said capturedimage.